If prolonged immobilization follows a femur fracture in a 70-year-old patient, which skeletal effect becomes most likely due to altered loading?

💡 Explanation

Immobilization reduces mechanical stress on the bone, leading to increased osteoclast activation locally during bone remodeling, because the bone adapts to reduced load by resorbing bone tissue. Therefore, localized osteoclast activity increases, rather than systemic osteoblast activity that would be expected with increased loading.

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